Embodiments of the inventive subject matter generally relate to the field of wireless communications, and, more particularly, to reciprocal wireless connectivity between peer devices.
There are currently several different wireless protocols which enable wireless communications between devices. Each protocol may provide different features that impact range of coverage, speed, reliability, etc. As non-limiting examples, IEEE defines several protocols traditionally used for consumer devices. For example, the IEEE 802.11n wireless network protocol provides a good range, and has a throughput of about 54 Mbit/s to 150 Mbit/s. The IEEE 802.11 ac wireless network protocol enables multi-station wireless area networks to have throughput of about 1 Gbit/s, and provides a maximum single link throughput of about 500 Mbit/s. The IEEE 802.11 ad wireless network protocol (sometimes also referred to as “11 ad” or WiGig™), has a maximum throughput of about 7 Gbit/s, and may have a limited range. Other wireless network protocols are existent and may have different characteristics.
Some wireless network protocols are suitable for short range high speed communications (e.g., within a room). For example, the recently approved IEEE 802.11ad wireless network protocol provides for use of unlicensed 60 GHz radio spectrum band (typically 57-66 GHz) which is suitable for short range high speed communication. However, a device may travels beyond the coverage range of an IEEE 802.11ad access point. Mobility may be supported by the use of a different wireless network protocol. For example, the range associated with 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz is typically greater than the range associated with 60 GHz. IEEE 802.11ad introduces a “Fast Session Transfer” (FST) capability which enables switching from the 60 GHz spectrum used by 802.11ad communications to the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz spectrum band used by the other communications protocols (e.g., 802.11a/b/g, 802.11n, 802.ac, or other protocols).